


Manes and Maidens

by ddagent



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Parents, Epistolary, F/M, Family Fluff, Meet-Cute, Prompt Fill, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:49:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddagent/pseuds/ddagent
Summary: A collection of various paragraph prompts and ficlets, originally posted on tumblr, featuring the relationship between Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth at this most romantic time of the year.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 171
Kudos: 235





	1. "Lionheart" [Brienne is captivated by a series of Maiden's Day cards; Modern AU]

Stepping into her local supermarket, Brienne was suffocated by Maiden’s Day. It had long ago stopped being a celebration of innocence and purity; instead, it was now a holiday of love, relationships, and commercialism. Bouquets of roses littered the foyer of the supermarket; beyond lay boxes upon boxes of chocolates, plush bears and dragons with soppy sayings embroidered onto their stomachs, and cards extolling the most saccharine of sentiments. 

“Oh, _Gods.”_

Her exclamation led to the two nearest shoppers turning her way and offering their best sympathetic looks. Tugging the collar of her coat closer around her neck, Brienne hustled into the store and avoided their pitying glances. _Yes,_ she had no plans for Maiden’s Day. _No,_ she was not seeing anyone – hadn’t been seeing anyone since the debacle with Hyle. Had she hoped something would happen with that man from the museum opening last month? _Sure._ But he had been a fleeting thought, a daydream. Men who looked like the Warrior reborn did not turn to Brienne to find his Maiden. 

Today, all Brienne hoped to find was some stir fry vegetables for dinner and a nameday card for Catelyn; the head of the History department at KLU and Brienne’s oldest friend. However, when Brienne arrived at the cards aisle, she found it overwhelmed with ones for Maiden’s Day. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she bypassed most of them until one caught her eye. 

“It’s yours,” Brienne muttered, picking up the card from the rack. It was two hand-drawn knights; the man handing over his heart to the woman. “It will always be yours. That’s...”

She trailed off. It was the sort of card she would have liked to have received had she ever been in a committed relationship come Maiden’s Day – or even in one where her partner gave a damn. Brienne’s fingertips traced the edges of the illustration. The woman knight was wearing blue armour; at her side was a sword with a lion pommel. She almost looked like— _no,_ that would be ridiculous. Brienne turned it over. _Lionheart Cards._ Huh. 

As Brienne put the card back, another stole her attention. “We don’t get to choose who we love,” the front of the card said, illustrated with a lonely knight atop a balcony looking out onto the sea. She opened it up and found him cuddling another knight; his white cloak surrounding them both. “But if we did, I’d choose you.” 

Turning over the card, Brienne found it was another _Lionheart Cards_ design. They were beautiful; reminiscent of Goldenhand and the Blue Knight – her favourite historical tale. She and the man from the museum opening had spent a good hour discussing their enduring love before she had been called away by Barristan, the curator. Although Brienne had no one to give them to, she found herself drawn to the designs. They were worth a keepsake at the very least. 

Putting the first two in her basket, Brienne sought out any others. There was one with a raggedy-looking man on the front being dragged across a meadow by a female knight in golden armour. “I’m a prisoner.” Brienne quickly opened it. The two were bound together on a horse, smiling at each other. “Of love!”

There was another: the two knights fighting what looked like childish drawings of White Walkers. “How in Seven Hells is this a Maiden’s Day card?” Looking inside, Brienne found the rather sweet – albeit macabre – sentiment. “Not even death will stop me from loving you.”

The last one Brienne found was _clearly_ based on Goldenhand’s rescue of the Blue Knight from the Harrenhal bearpit. She was in a torn pink gown, he was missing a hand, and there was a very grumpy bear in the corner. As Goldenhand cradled the Blue Knight in his arms, she asked, _Why come back?_ Brienne didn’t even have to open the card to know the response. “I dreamed of you.” 

As well as the inscription, however, there was also a string of eleven numbers. A production code; a misprint in the final batch. Brienne just shrugged and put the last card in her basket. She then headed for the fruit and veg aisle, picked up the necessaries for her dinner that evening, and walked over to the self-checkout. Waiting in the queue, Brienne zoned out, thinking about the curious staff at _Lionheart Cards,_ before she was broken out of her reverie by a man arguing with the self-scan. 

“It _is_ in the bagging area, you stupid machine!” He smacked the side of it, growling. He then turned to Brienne and said, “I swear, these things save just as much time as— _oh. It’s you!”_

“It’s you!”

The man from the museum opening! He was just as beautiful now as he had been that evening. Dark-blonde hair falling across his eyes; a well-trimmed beard barely concealing his charming smile. Many of the attendees had been mesmerised by his appearance, Brienne included. She had not expected him to be so enthusiastic or well-informed about history; had thought him dragged to the opening by a friend or client. But he had surprised her, and their conversation had been one of the best hours of her life. 

Then Barristan had called her over, and when she’d come back to the Oathkeeper exhibit, he was gone. 

But here he stood. In the flesh. “I’d hoped to see you at the museum again, but you haven’t been back.”

_He wanted to see her again?_ “Classes started back up; I’ve been swamped with work. I’m a History lecturer at KLU.”

“Of course; I understand. So, do you have a name, Professor? Something else other than a love of Goldenhand and Ser Blue I can track you down with, just in case you run off without giving me your number again?” 

“Brienne.”

A spot on the self-checkouts opened up, and Brienne passed the Warrior to put her shopping through at the farthest end. Her face aflame; she focussed on checking out her groceries and not on the way his bottle-green gaze lingered. As she went to the payment screen, he sidled up to her. His eyes widened at the sight of five Maiden’s Day cards in her bagging area. 

“Lots of admirers, Professor Brienne?”

Her flush deepened. “ _No_. I just—”

“—what, not even one?” he said, leaning against the self-scan until he lost his balance, half-fell into the bagging area, and set off a whole heap of alarms. “Sorry.” He turned to the unimpressed attendant. “Sorry.”

Brienne chuckled. “The–the cards, they’re not really for anyone; I just like the designs. I think you would, too: they’re Goldenhand and the Blue Knight.” 

“Really?” His eyes sparkled. “Anything...interesting inside?” When her brow furrowed, he changed topic. “Would you like to get dinner with me tonight? Or tomorrow, if those vegetables won’t keep.”

“I always get items with good sell-by-dates,” Brienne said, in lieu of accepting this handsome and sweet man’s offer of dinner. Mentally kicking herself, she nodded. “Dinner would be lovely.”

“Great. Good. _Great._ ”

After paying, they walked out of the supermarket together. Brienne was suddenly struck by something. “You know, I don’t even know your name.”

“Jaime. My name’s Jaime.”

“And what do you do, Jaime?”

His leonine grin made her stomach flutter. “I design greeting cards.”


	2. "Puppy Love" [Jaime plans a romantic dinner for Brienne and meets her 'pets'; Modern AU]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Jaime tries to surprise Brienne for Valentine’s Day with a romantic dinner in her apartment and has to contend with her curious pet cat." [anonymous]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the prompt, Anon! I hope you enjoy my take on it.

Jaime quickly realised why Brienne did not allow people back into her apartment. 

Ever since Brienne had started at King’s Landing University a year ago, it had been a running joke. At first, they’d assumed she was shy. Recently returning from an archaeological dig in Ancient Valyria, Professor Tarth was competent if not compelling. But as the year had gone on and she had insistently turned down offers to host the weekly moderation-slash-potluck, a different kind of pot had started. Bodies in the freezer, a partner she didn’t want anyone to meet, truly horrendous taste in furniture…these theories and many more were bandied about by the department. Jaime had never much cared until he and Brienne had grown closer and yet…still no invitation. 

He could see why now. 

“Hello…” he murmured in a low voice to the half-foot tall _dragon_ that had backed him into a corner. “Aren’t you a…pretty thing.”

In truth, the dragon was reminiscent of the beautiful drawings Jaime and his brother, Tyrion, had poured over as children. Black, bottomless eyes; scales the colour of molten gold that shifted red in the light. It was a thing of beauty – and _power._ He had worked on sites where the dragons of old had decimated the population. He had dug up the bodies of the Dragon Queen’s victims near Highgarden; had examined the shields burnt black with flame. But this was not the fully-fledged dragons that had resurged during the War of the Three Queens. This was barely bigger than a cat. 

“Now, _now,_ little one,” he said, rising to his feet slowly. “I am just going to take a step towards the door and go home. That’s all.”

But as he turned towards Brienne’s front door, abandoning the groceries he had brought to make a romantic Maiden’s Day feast, he realised there was more than one. Two other dragons stood in his path. The first had blue scales almost the same shade of Brienne’s eyes; the other was jet black and seemed to stare into Jaime’s very _soul._ He edged forwards towards the door, hoping he could evade them, when his foot caught on the rug. 

Sprawling across the floor, Jaime’s head hit hardwood. As six dragons focussed into three, he watched with terror as they approached his face. “Oh, _fuck.”_ He didn’t want to die like this. Didn’t want Brienne to come home and find him half-eaten by her _pets._ He’d wanted her to come home from her late class to a romantic dinner. Music, sunflowers, wine. Three little words he’d wanted to say for some time…

“Don’t eat me.”

–

Brienne checked her phone as she got off the tube and began the slow walk to her apartment. She usually kept her phone off during seminars and one of her students, Podrick, had drawn her into conversation all the way from campus to her home at Visenya’s Hill. But now she was free to look at her phone and the string of messages from Jaime. She’d disliked him immensely at first; found him rude and arrogant if blindingly attractive. But he had a romantic heart under his armour, and she’d found herself softening as they co-taught a class on romanticism in the Dragon Age. 

> **Jaime ♥:** Missed you today in class, Professor. Someone was talking smack about the Blue Knight and I almost, _almost_ sent him to your class so he could learn something.   
> **Jaime ♥:** But then I realised, if anyone’s getting sent to your class, it’s going to be ME.   
> **Jaime ♥:** Hope your last class goes okay.   
> **Jaime ♥:** Oh, and Happy Maiden’s Day, Professor. Want to talk about the historical development of the day as a romantic holiday with our clothes off? 

Brienne laughed, shaking her head at her Jaime. With her late class and his six am tutorials, neither had pushed to make plans. But if Jaime wanted her to come over, she _certainly_ would oblige. 

> **Jaime ♥:** There’s a romantic surprise waiting at your apartment, Professor. You should come and unwrap it ;)

Eyes widening, Brienne stared at Jaime’s last message. “No, no, no, no, _no…”_ Shoving her phone back into her bag, Brienne sprinted the last few streets to her apartment. 

While taking part in a dig in Ancient Valyria, Brienne had uncovered three dragon eggs perfectly preserved. The dig’s leader, a particularly odious man by the name of Randyll Tarly, had declared them nothing more than tourist trash. He’d encouraged her to throw them aside. Something had called to Brienne, however, and she’d kept the eggs. Vindication and validation had quickly followed. 

Along with three carnivorous pets. 

Pushing her way through the front door of her apartment building, Brienne skipped the lift and threw herself up the three flights of stairs. Her place was at the far end of the corridor; light and soft music floating underneath the door. Maybe he hadn’t found them. Maybe they’d remained in the spare bedroom with the chew toys. Maybe—

“Here we go, Gerion; that’s a good boy. How does that taste?”

Brienne stepped into her apartment to find Jaime Lannister cooking a romantic meal with her three dragons sitting atop the counter. Gerion, with his golden scales, jumped up to catch the pieces of steak Jaime was throwing from the pan. Elenei, who reminded Brienne of the waters of Tarth, had her head in Jaime’s oven glove. Galladon was butting a sunflower from a nearby bouquet with his head. 

“Jaime?”

“Brienne!” He grinned, threw another slice of steak to Gerion to catch, before crossing the distance to take her hands in his. “First of all, I want to apologise for breaking into your apartment. I thought it would be charming and romantic.”

“You can see _why_ I haven’t invited anyone round.”

“ _Of course_. I honestly thought they were going to eat me to start with. But then they just started licking my face and chewing on my shoelaces, and here we are.” He rubbed his thumbs over the inside of her wrists and placed a featherlight kiss to her lips. “Happy Maiden’s Day, Brienne. There’s half-eaten flowers on the kitchen island and dinner is nearly ready.”

Brienne nodded, approaching the scene with trepidation, as Jaime returned to the stove. A romantic dinner for two had been set up in the living room: candles, romantic music, an expensive bottle of wine. Sunflowers lay strewn across the floor, and half of their dinner looked like it had been devoured by her dragons. Brienne’s journals, detailing their growth and activities, lay open near the sink. Jaime had clearly done his reading. 

“Now, Elenei, I’m going to need those gloves back. I’m not impervious to heat or fire.” The dragon playfully nipped at Jaime’s fingers before jumping down from the kitchen top to attack Jaime’s expensive loafers. “Gerion, I can’t feed you any more; I’m sorry. But if you’re a good boy, I’ll let you have some marshmallows later.” 

“You brought marshmallows?”

Jaime nodded. “And other things we could dip in chocolate. Thought it would be romantic.”

As he ushered Galladon off the counter so he could plate their dinner, Brienne was overwhelmed by how _lucky_ she was. Anyone else would have called the Gold Cloaks. But not Jaime. He treated them as if they were just exotic pets that Brienne had around the house rather than the fire-breathing, life-destroying monsters they would grow up to be. He smiled at her, as warm as always, and pulled out a seat for her to take at their romantic table for two. 

“Wine?”

“ _I love you_.”

Jaime’s grin split from ear to ear. Her dragons, who had seemingly taken to Jaime quicker than she had, puffed in approval. “I love you, too.”


	3. "#love you" [Hot Instagram Dad Jaime cheers up his wife while they're apart; Modern AU]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hiii if hot Instagram dad Jaime maybe decided he wanted to do some fun maiden day activities to post onto his account and dragged long suffering Brienne into it, I would love that. (I will die for that universe)" [anonymous]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the prompt, Anon! This is not *quite* what you asked for; consider it a mild reboot of the insta!dad Jaime ‘verse. I hope you enjoy it all the same.

_“This is a passenger announcement. Flight 8OATH7 to Storm’s End is delayed. Please check the departures board for further information.”_

Brienne let out an almighty groan that was shared between her and the other passengers wanting to leave Braavos. A quick glance to the departures board showed that the two-minute adjustment in departure time had now extended a full two hours. Several of her fellow passengers headed off to the bar or duty-free shops. Brienne just slumped into her seat. At least it wasn’t Sevenmas she was missing. Just Maiden’s Day. 

_Oh,_ but she was really looking forward to spending Maiden’s Day with Jaime. 

Slipping her phone out of her pocket, Brienne scrolled to _Home_ and pressed the _call_ button. After a few rings, a confident little voice answered. “ _Lannister-Tarth residence. This is Catelyn speaking. Who are_ you?”

Brienne felt herself beaming at her eldest daughter’s phone manner. “Cat, it’s Mummy. Is Daddy around?”

_“Mummy! When are you coming back? We miss you!”_

“I miss you too, Little Lion. I’ll be home soon. Can you put Daddy on?”

_“Sure.”_

There was a clunk, then a long pause, before Jaime came on the phone. Excited babbles came over the line, and Brienne could just envision Jaime in their foyer at Evenfall, holding their youngest in his arms. “ _Hey. Everything okay?”_

“Not great. I’m stuck in Braavos; there’s not a flight out for at least two hours. I don’t think I’m going to get home today.”

“ _It’s okay, Brienne. We can celebrate Maiden’s Day tomorrow, or the next day, or_ whenever. _Love you.”_

“Love you too.”

Ending the call, Brienne settled back into the uncomfortable plastic seat made for a person at least a foot shorter than her. The other passengers were on their phones, playing games such as _Angry Dragons_ or _Game of Tarts;_ more than a few were scrolling through social media. Brienne followed suit. She opened up her ravenmail account and replied to a few emails; the university wanting an update on her latest findings. Unfortunately, the Braavosi artefacts she had been sent to authenticate were frauds. After she’d done that and sent a text to her Dad, asking him to check in on Jaime and the kids, she went to open up her own accounts. That’s when she heard it. 

“ _—I guess we’ll have to celebrate another night. Sweetling, we love you, and I can’t wait for you to get home.”_

Two seats down were three young women dressed for sun and fun rather than Brienne’s ill-fitting business suit. They were staring longingly at one of their phones. “He is just _so_ hot. He’s such a great dad and _clearly_ an amazing husband.”

“Did you see the snap of him doing topless push-ups with his kids on his back? Oh-em- _gee,_ I nearly _died.”_

“What about the one at the zoo? All tanned and muscular picking his daughter up to look at the lion cage? He is _hot a-eff._ I swear, every time I look at his Quip feed, my ovaries hurt.”

The three young women continued to drool over Brienne’s husband, or the hot Dad at _kingofthe_pride_. He’d had the Quip account since Catelyn was born, wanting to show off adorable pictures of their baby girl while he was a stay-at-home-dad. The account had grown popular as Jaime was earnest, loving, and downright _gorgeous._ Users on Quip had followed him from being a first-time Dad to looking after their boy, Brynden, and their youngest, Joanna. It brought in a little sponsorship money and a _lot_ of unwelcome DMs. He screenshotted her the best ones, along with some _personal_ pics just for her. 

Loading Quip, Brienne found Jaime’s most recent story. He was in their garden, Joanna climbing on his shoulder while the other two gathered round to stare at the phone. “ _So, I just got a call from my wife that she’s stuck in an airport departure lounge and won’t be able to come home tonight. Which is a shame, because these three cubs were going to stay at Grandad’s.”_

Jaime offered the camera a sultry wink that would melt most women. _Hells,_ Brienne had been married to him for nine years, and she was still a puddle! “ _I guess we’ll have to celebrate another night. Sweetling, we love you, and I can’t wait for you to get home.”_

All three of their children waved at the camera; Brynden and Ser Roar blowing her a kiss. It disappeared onto the next story – Jaime’s sister, Cersei, wine tasting at her vineyard in Dorne – before Brienne clicked back to his account. There was another post already. 

“Oh–em– _gee,_ they’re making Maiden’s Day cards together.”

The picture was, in fact, in the children’s playroom. The large mahogany table that had once sat knights of old was now covered in card, glitter, and felt tip pens. Jaime’s shoulder-length hair was pulled off his face, his grin wide and bright, as Joanna helped him pour sapphire-blue glitter into the shape of a heart. Brynden was working on his letters in his own handmade Maiden’s Day card. Catelyn was drawing something else. 

> _kingofthe_pride:_ Couldn’t get to the shops, B. Handmade okay?

Brienne chuckled, especially at the next picture of Jaime holding up Catelyn’s drawing of Ser Galladon of Morne and his sword. 

> _kingofthe_pride:_ Little Lion misunderstood the task. Think you might enjoy it better than mine. 

Already the picture had a ton of likes and plenty of comments. Brienne tried to avoid deciphering the string of emojis following several of them; instead, she focused on the smiles of her husband and children. An email from the university diverted her attention, but, when she returned, there was another post from Jaime. 

> _kingofthe_pride:_ All your partner wants for M-Day is flowers, chocolates, and a sword. 

It was a photo of Jaime in the Evenfall museum on Tarth; a crimson bow attached to the exhibit glass holding Oathkeeper. Brienne barked out a laugh, startling a few nearby passengers including the young women who had been drooling over her husband. The next few posts were equally touching: Jaime and the children making flower crowns (# _myqueenofloveandbeauty_ ); Jaime and the children making chocolate cupcakes (# _knight-feast_ ). 

Shaking her head, Brienne opened up her messenger app and found her husband’s name. 

> **B:** I love you. 

> **Ser Husband:** I know. I’m very lovable. 

> **B:** And modest. 

> **Ser Husband:** _Well,_ that picture of me with a flower crown has over 600 likes already. 

> **Ser Husband:** I just wanted to lift your spirits while you’re stuck in a dingy airport lounge. 

> **B:** You did. Thank you ♥

> **Ser Husband:** Would you like a kingofthe_pride exclusive?

> **B:** Always. 

The next photo was a selfie. Jaime was in her study; the last of the afternoon light streaming in and highlighting the blonde in his hair and the crow’s feet around his eyes. The angle was off: there were no pixels of his muscular arms or tight abs. He was just a forty-year-old Dad taking a poorly aimed selfie, and staring at the camera with so much love it made her heart ache. 

> **B:** I miss you. 

> **Ser Husband:** I miss you, too. 

_“This is a passenger announcement. Flight 8OATH7 to Storm’s End is now boarding Please check your ticket information and proceed to Gate 14.”_

> **B:** See you soon x 


	4. "Love is the Death of Duty" [God of Love Jaime visits Goddess of the Dead Brienne; Modern AU]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Inspired by the Sandman casting news, God of Love Jaime and Goddess of the Underworld, the Dead, and the Forgotten Brienne." [anonymous]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping to write some God of Love Jaime today; this is actually super weird but I hope you enjoy it!

_“_ There you are.” Brienne looked up from the open chest cavity of one Jeyne Snow and found Margaery Tyrell staring at her from the open doorway. “We were going to catch a double feature at the cinema. Want to join us?”

Brienne blinked. “Sure. Just let me finish up.”

Margaery gave Brienne a thousand-watt grin and headed back out into the corridor. She would be with the other doctors in their little group: Sansa, Ygritte, and Tysha. They were all doctors above ground: plastic surgery, gynaecology, trauma, paediatrics. They all did their best to help the living while Brienne remained down here, in the basement, with the dead. While the others squealed and blanched over the prospect of spending day in, day out with corpses, Brienne had no such qualms. After all, she was the Goddess of the Underworld, Patron of the Dead and Forgotten. 

The Stranger. 

Placing a pouch of salt and herbs beside Jeyne’s form, Brienne ensured she was stowed properly before showing and dressing for an evening out with her...she was loathe to say _friends._ In the rare occasions she had taken human form, Brienne had never grown close to anyone. It was easier in the Age of Dragons, where she could drift from town to town along the King’s Road; giving burial rites to those who needed it and enacting justice to those who deserved it. But times had changed. People sought out connection more than ever before. 

And now, Brienne supposed, she had people who sought _her_ out. 

Sansa linked her arm with Brienne’s as they left King’s Landing General Hospital and headed for a multiplex a few streets down. From here she could see the bright lights and long lines; a large poster with a shirtless man dominating the scene. As they grew closer, Brienne realised who it was. Jaime Lannister, rom-com heartthrob who took off his shirt at least seven times within ninety minutes. The girls ogled the poster and the prospect of the double feature. 

Brienne just stared; the eyes on the poster following her as she moved to join the back of the line. 

“He is _so_ pretty,” Margaery said, letting out a deep sigh at the thought of Jaime Lannister. “You know, I met him on a plane once. His eyes are just... _inhuman_.” _Maybe because he’s not human. “_ I would give every dragon in my trust fund to sleep with him.”

“Or just to touch his hair. Do you think those are his real muscles?” Sansa, the youngest of the group, swooned. “How high do you think he could lift me?”

The girls chattered on – Ygritte often throwing out negative comments to stir the pot – as they bought their tickets and headed inside. The cinema foyer was packed with single women looking to stare at _Ice and Fire_ magazine’s regular heartthrob of the month, as well as couples hoping that a romantic comedy would be the perfect entertainment on Maiden’s Day. _His day._ As Brienne walked along to the screening room, film posters of his various features – Oathkeeper, The Last Knight, The Things We Do For Love – stared back at her. One even had the audacity to _wink_ as she walked past. 

“I’m not feeling too well,” Brienne uttered before they had even entered the screen. “I think I’ll just head home.”

But Margaery encircled her wrist and dragged her inside. “No, you don’t. I know you’ve had a bad spell of romance, but a Jaime Lannister movie marathon is _just_ the thing to cheer you up!”

Sansa squeezed Brienne’s hand. “Marge is right. Forget about Hyle and Ben and the others. They’re not worth your time. Just sit back and enjoy the gorgeousness that is Jaime Lannister.”

A woman sitting behind them patted Brienne’s shoulder. “Believe me, it’s just nice to enjoy the fantasy. After all, there’s no men like him!”

A few others around them tittered; the line clearly from one of his movies. Brienne had heard it before, from his very own lips. It was something he was fond of saying and had earned a cane to the back of the ankles from the Crone. Brienne was loathed to stay; the crackle of energy in the room disquieting. But it would seem suspicious if she were to just up and leave. After all, to them she was Brienne Tarth, a medical examiner who had been the centre of a bet by a group of surgeons. Her friends had tried to comfort her, tried to get her to open up; share her feelings. 

The problem is that Brienne didn’t feel. 

“ _I dreamed of you.”_

A sigh went round the room at the opening scene of _The Last Knight._ Jaime Lannister, dressed in a crimson tunic, stared longingly at the woman he had just rescued from a bearpit. While the rest of the cinemagoers watched the film, Brienne grew more and more uncomfortable. All the hair on her arms stood up; goose flesh covering her skin. When she looked back at the screen, Jaime Lannister was staring directly at the camera. At _her._

_“_ I thought you’d never come to one of these things. You told me I was a fool for acting.” Brienne frowned. She turned to Sansa, who was mouthing different words. “They can’t see me. Can’t hear me.”

“ _Jaime.”_

Upon the large screen, the God of Love walked around the screen ambivalent to the plot and direction and the _actual movie that was shot._ He lounged in an armchair, picking lint off his shoulder, before offering her a shit-eating grin. “I can’t believe you’re here. _Watching me._ I’m touched, Brienne.”

“I was dragged here.”

“Against your will?” The image on screen shook his head. “I don’t think so. You are the Goddess of the Dead. Nothing _ever_ happens without your say so.”

“Including using our powers in the land of the living. Or have you forgotten what happened last time?”

The Jaime on screen waved a hand in her direction. The scene changed on screen to the King’s Road but Jaime remained. He peered out at the multiplex. “Building a cinema on the grounds of an old sept. _Bad form._ Holy ground doesn’t change, Brienne: you know that.”

She did. Everything upon the soil was fair game. They could be their godly selves within these four walls. As Jaime proved as he stepped out of the screen. Pulled apart the layer between reality and fantasy; his costume from _The Last Knight_ fading and replaced by a simple white shirt and slacks. Around her, the room came to a sudden stop. Fallen popcorn hovered in mid-air; conversations fell into nothingness. The whole world had stopped for them. 

Jaime held out his hand. She stared at it, confused. “Why did you come here?”

He shrugged. “I dreamed of you.”

She scoffed; the line from the film ringing in her ears. “We don’t dream.”

“Sometimes I do. They are always of you.”

“I don’t...I don’t _feel,_ Jaime.” She had told him that the last time they had met, in the ruins of Harrenhal with rain hovering in the sky. “I can’t feel for you like I—like I _want_ to.”

His smile was soft; his eyes warm with adoration. “You forget, I can feel _everything._ And I can feel _you._ Trust me.”

Her hand slid into his and she was brought up from her seat. Brienne suddenly recalled when she’d offered him a hand; when he, full of love and innocence, had taken a life while in human form. She had been the only god who had not turned away. Brienne had held him and protected him and together they had slain the men who had wanted to bring fire and destruction upon this very city. 

“I loved you then,” he whispered, as if able to read her thoughts. “You loved me, too. Can I kiss you?”

She nodded. Lifting on his toes, Jaime brushed his lips against hers. Her first kiss. Soft and gentle; his mouth tasting sweet and tart like the red berries she had watched him devour in the Seven Heavens. Brienne chased that taste as her hands found purchase on his shoulders; as his arms tightened around her waist. After a moment, Jaime pulled away to take a deep breath. He then kissed her hand and walked towards the silver screen. 

She followed. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I am currently open for Valentine's Day prompts!


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